Senior artist draws inspiration from his own mind

The inspiration behind this year's Best of Show artwork at the Houston Livestock Show Art Contest came straight from Eddie Garcia's mind.

The 17-year-old senior at East High School created a graphite drawing of an American Indian, with piercing eyes and a flowing headdress, to take the top honor at the show on Jan. 7.

And unlike a lot of artists, whose drawings derive from photographs, Eddie came up with the "Windows to the Soul" drawing on his own.

"I try to be different in the Houston Livestock Show because everybody draws cowboys," he said.

Eddie, who works a part-time job on top of school, said he spent about seven hours a week over the course of two months working on the winning piece. Persistence is one of the most crucial elements of being an artist, he said.

"It does get frustrating when you get to certain parts, and you don't know what to do," he said. "Sometimes you have to take a break, too."

Eddie's no novice when it comes to competing in art shows. He's won awards in several competitions, but this is his first big win that will be auctioned off in Houston for potentially thousands of dollars.

Eddie said he first knew he had a knack for drawing in the first grade, when a teacher complimented him on some of his work. Since then, he's been schooling himself on the art of making art.

Eddie learned to draw from photographs before beginning to challenge himself to come up with drawings in his head. More than portraits or landscapes, now he likes to do drawings that include skulls and bones - subjects he translates straight from his mind to the paper.

He thinks drawing without the help of photos gives him an edge in competitions. And make no mistake, the art departments pack just as much rivalry as the football field.

"Everyone wants to win," Eddie said. "I'm not competitive. I just try to do my best and try to get my name out there without hurting anybody else's feelings."

Hurt feelings or not, the fact is Eddie's drawing is the only art from more than 300 entries in Victoria that will make it to the Houston auction.

It left Victoria before he got to see it on display - he didn't attend the show until later in the day. But at least his fans were able to see of photograph of "Windows to the Soul" before it left for Houston with the judges.